


The Waste of a Perfectly Good Healing Potion

by SergeantAtArms



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Caleb's worst fears, Gen, Molly decides to insert sexual tension into every possible situation, don't worry it's all a dream, illusions aren't fun, in D&D emotional pain is the only kind that lasts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-05
Updated: 2018-05-05
Packaged: 2019-05-02 18:06:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 720
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14550339
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SergeantAtArms/pseuds/SergeantAtArms
Summary: For a short time, Caleb is convinced that Nott is dead. Fortunately, there's an obvious explanation.





	The Waste of a Perfectly Good Healing Potion

It was all happening so fast. Caleb had waiting patiently with the rest of the group while Nott worked at the base of a large statue, trying to disable its traps. Then there was a flash of multi-coloured light, an unholy bang, and Nott was rolling across the floor to his feet, blood pouring from her mouth and nose.

Nothing else mattered. Caleb dropped to his knees, scooping Nott’s head up with one hand. She wasn’t breathing. He reached inside his coat for a healing potion and poured it into her mouth, heart racing as though it was trying to sustain enough life for both of them.

The potion didn’t work. Caleb didn’t understand what was going on, but the vial was empty and Nott was still limp and lifeless in his arms. He screamed for Jester, begging her with heart and voice to save his only real friend…

There was a hand on his shoulder. He shook it off, but it returned, persistent. He growled at its unseen owner to knock it off, but to no avail. Grief bubbling into anger, he turned, fully intending to hurt them if they didn’t- and stopped. He felt the unmistakable sensation of a breaking enchantment, lost his balance and almost fell over into Molly’s arms.

The tiefling hauled him up and forced eye-contact. Molly’s red eyes were wide and concerned, his voice urgent.

“Caleb! Are you back?”

“I- I don’t know.”

Caleb looked down. There was no little body in his arms, nothing but a puddle at his feet. “Where’s…?”

“Nott? Nott, get over here, show him you’re alright.”

Molly moved to one side and Nott scrambled over to Caleb, frantic and worried and _whole_. Caleb still wasn’t entirely certain what was going on, but he went back down on his knees to hold her tight.

“I’m sorry, Caleb!” she squeaked. “I was trying to be careful, but it slipped!”

“I don’t understand, Dreckspatz. What are you sorry for?”

It was Molly who answered. “Illusion trap. Bad one. I don’t know what you saw, but it wasn’t real, alright?”

“Alright,” Caleb repeated automatically, then took a moment to process what Molly had actually said. “Oh. I am… sorry, then. I should have seen it.”

“Not your fault. And you weren’t the only one.”

Caleb looked up, then followed Molly’s gaze. Jester was hunched over sobbing in Fjord’s arms.

“I see. Will she be okay?”

“I think so,” Molly told him. “She was under for less time than you were, and she bounces back well.”

“That she does,” Caleb agreed. A muffled protest from around chest-height reminded him that he was still holding onto Nott, and was now in danger of smothering her if he kept tightening his grip. He let go.

“My apologies, Nott. I got a little distracted there.”

“That’s okay, Caleb! Are you alright now?”

“Yes, I think so.” Caleb turned and looked behind him. “I believe I have wasted one of my healing potions though, so I apologise again for that.”

“Oh, come now, darling!” Molly clapped Caleb on the shoulder so hard that he nearly toppled over in shock. 

“If all we lose is a healing potion, I count that a fair exchange. Besides which...” Molly paused to wink at Caleb before he concluded; “It doesn’t have to be an entire waste.”

Molly lowered himself seductively to the floor, extended his curiously flexible tongue, and made an impressive attempt to gather the healing-potion puddle into his mouth from the stonework. It would have been much less disconcerting had he not insisted upon maintain eye contact, but Molly seemed to take a perverse pleasure in making Caleb blush.  


He got up, stretched, and grinned at the expression on Caleb’s face.

“Thank you very much, darling. Just what the doctor ordered. Not that you should ever trust a doctor, mind.”

“You are welcome, I suppose. Does this mean that you will be paying me back?”

Molly threw his head back and laughed. “Absolutely not. Come on, let’s get our charming young cleric back on her feet, shall we? Get this place behind us.”

Caleb nodded. He took Molly’s meaning: it would be for the best if they could leave their experiences in this room, spoken and otherwise, in their dust.

“Thank you. I think that is a very good idea.”


End file.
